Effective administrators are crucial to implementing reforms in human capital systems for teachers, such as rigorous selection and evaluation systems as well
as meaningful professional development. The culture a principal creates and sustains is one of continuous improvement and growth, enhancing each student’s ability
to perform at high levels.

Beginning in the summer of 2004, the Division for Leadership Development created the Maryland
Instructional Leadership Framework, which describes outcomes expected of Maryland principals as they provide instructional leadership
for their schools. For
each outcome
identified, there are
evidences in practice that delineate the
minimum of what principals
are expected to know and be able to do if
the respective leadership outcome is to be realized.

The evaluation tool focuses on the content knowledge needed for school principals to be the leader
of teaching and learning
in the school. It represents the most commonly accepted instructional
leadership responsibilities
according
to respected practitioners, researchers, and
theorists in the field
of instructional leadership and continuous
improvement. It also
provides a foundation
for the alignment of professional development opportunities offered at the
state and local levels as well as coursework
offered at
institutions of higher education.

The philosophical basis for
the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework is expounded in three seminal Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) documents and the research that serves as the foundation for
those documents, which includes Every
Child Achieving: A Plan for Meeting
the Needs of the Individual Learner (adopted by
the Maryland State Board of Education in 1999),
Maryland Task Force Report on the
Principalship (adopted by the Maryland State
Board of Education in 2000) and Achievement Matters Most: A Report of the
Visionary Panel for Better
Schools (adopted by the Maryland State Board
of Education in 2002).

PGCPS’ Executive Leadership team, Human Resources and district administrators worked together to understand and enhance the way we measure effectiveness.
The
state of Maryland committed to include student growth measures as a part of
evaluation as a condition of receiving Race to the Top grant funding. When school districts were
given the option to design their
own evaluation system in accordance with the state’s
guidelines, Prince George’s County
opted to construct its own evaluation
tool for Principals and Assistant
Principals.

The school-based administrator self-assessment, student achievement data, and other supporting
documentation relevant to each school site will be used by the administrator and the evaluator as the basis for establishing annual
performance goals. Throughout
the evaluation period, the administrator will receive
informal feedback and coaching from the
evaluator, based on evidence from school site
visits, timeliness in systems operations, reports from others,
personal observations, school
documents, school projects
and activities and
other sources.

The school-based administrator evaluation
system utilizes multiple
measures to assess the effectiveness of employees. The administrator evaluation
tool is comprised of two parts: 50%
professional practice
measures and 50% student growth measures. Measured by a system of data points which guide
continuous improvement of performance and accountability, the PGCPS evaluation
system includes the following: